Editor’s note: Changchun church leaders share practical ways we can pray for their churches and their families.
China Partnership: How can we pray for churches and families in Changchun?
Pray: For Adult Children
Pastor Zhu Jiale: For me personally, I hope that before I retire, the church will have more pastors and elders who can lead. I hope we can plant more congregations. But of course, that requires more co-workers.
For my family, please pray for my children’s relationship with God. My daughter is in her mid-20s and currently teaches in our church’s educational ministry. I hope she won’t rely on her natural gifts, but will truly see this as a calling, and draw strength from God. teachers can get by on natural abilities and don’t necessarily have to have a deep spiritual life – but I hope everyone who serves will treat ministry as a calling from God, not just a job. I am praying that all our children will have clarity about their calling, what God wants them to do.
The other thing I am praying is that, in God’s time, my children will be able to enter into a God-honoring marriage.
Pray: For Strong Leaders to Rise Up
Pastor Gao Yuan: My requests are similar. I also hope the church and all our ministries will have strong leaders to take up after me.
For my family – well, since I help other families and their children, I hope my own children will also receive more love and help from those who are gifted in that area.
Pastor Wu Li: Please pray for my wife, who has suffered from chronic illness for many years, and is limited in what she can do. Please ask the Lord to show her special mercy.
Our family homeschools our children. In our church, some send their children to the Christian school, but others homeschool. Those of us who homeschool have formed a small “alliance.” Please pray that, as we homeschool, we won’t forget why we originally chose to do this. We decided to homeschool mainly so that our children could be more deeply shaped in their faith. We want them to know God from a young age, and hope that, when they grow up, they can be used by him. Please pray for our children’s spiritual growth.
For the church, please pray that God will continue to bless our campus ministry. Last year the ministry went through some major changes, but we are asking God to revive this work. We are asking that more graduating students will stay in Changchun, and that God will call them to be future missionaries, pastors, and key co-workers. We also hope to keep planting churches, but on university campuses as well as adult congregations. Pray for more brothers to be raised up as full-time pastors and strong bi-vocational leaders, so we can plant more churches together.
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As for global missions, we hope that people from our church will step out to participate in world missions. We pray that they will go out to plant churches and establish biblically faithful, Reformed churches in other countries and regions.
Pray: For Rising Leaders, Salvation, and Growth
Elder Hung Yuguo: In our presbytery, we have a good number of pastors and elders – but relatively few deacons. We’ve done trainings, but after evaluation we still don’t feel we have many suitable candidates. Please pray that next year we will truly be able to ordain deacons.
For myself, please pray for my parents’ salvation, as they are both still unbelievers. I’ve shared the gospel with them for many years, but they have not yet believed. I especially ask prayer for their souls.
Pastor Du Longkai: Pray that the Lord will raise up more co-workers in our church, especially more preachers. Ideally, we need full-time preachers, so that we can be prepared to plant churches.
For my family, please pray for my wife, who has several health issues. We have two sons, in elementary and middle school. Pray that they will grow in character, be built up by God, and follow the Lord well.
Elder Hu Wei: Pray that God will raise up more brothers who are willing to serve the church full-time. When there is a shortage of workers, everything feels short-handed, and many things can’t be done well.
Zhu Jiale, Gao Yuan, Wu Li, Huang Yuguo, Du Longkai, and Hu Wei are pseudonyms for house church pastors and elders in Changchun.
Pray for more pastors and leaders to be raised up in Changchun.
